


Icarus, You've Fallen

by TheoFromTV



Category: Dick Figures
Genre: (That's Blue), (That's Red), Agender Character, Alien Character(s), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Dates, Blood and Injury, Cutting, Depression, Dick Figures? In 2018? It's more likely than you think, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, For Apple - I would die for you, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Mental Breakdown, Night Terrors, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Self-Harm, Stalking, Suicide Attempt, Trans Male Character, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-06-23 01:14:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheoFromTV/pseuds/TheoFromTV
Summary: Blue was having the perfect day.But, with a single sight, his world was thrown upside down.He learns more about someone, things he would have never expected.And it makes him sick.





	1. Up and Down

Blue hummed, nearly skipping as he made his way back to his apartment. While some things may not be adequate, the man could definitely chalk today as one of the best days of his entire life (so far). As he opened his umbrella, rain steadying into a heavy downpour, he took the time to reflect on the day’s events, sure to avoid any puddles as he navigated throughout the dimly-lit city streets. 

 

It had all started with his job interview: Red had been asleep when he left, so Blue was sure to leave the boy a text to remind him of his location before he headed out. After all, it was an early meeting, and Blue had been  _ lucky _ to get there on time. Blue shivered as he recalled all of the...past incidents that had transpired before earlier interviews. The job he was aiming for was quite simple, being at a tech-based agency working on coding and computer security and analysis.  _ Just up Blue’s alley! _ He’d practiced for weeks in order to get this job. The man who interviewed him, Darron, was surprisingly impressed, told him that he’ll call him back after further review. 11 A.M. was when Blue left the agency, happy as he could be. 

 

The day only went uphill from there. On his way back towards the apartment, Blue became distracted when he received a text on his phone. Without another thought, Blue stopped where he was standing on the beige sidewalk, sliding the text and reading it. 

 

[Pink-alicious]  _ Hey, Blue! Want to go out today? _ {11:12}   
  
Blue felt his face flush up upon reading the message from his crush—no, his  _ girlfriend _ —had sent to him. Out of sheer nervous impulse, he dragged his hand through his hair, smiling to himself as he tapped out a response, hitting send. 

 

[Blue’s Clues]  _ Ofc! When? What’s the plan?  _ {11:15}

 

[Pink-alicious]  _ I’ll tell you when we meet up! Look behind you <3  _ {11:16}

 

Blue raised an eyebrow at the text.  _ What? _ As he turned, someone crashed into him. Blue let out a gasp, his feet stumbling like a ballerina as he fought to stay balanced. Fortunately, his attacker took his hands in theirs, their laugh becoming music to his ears as he recognized who it belonged to. 

 

“I- _ Pink! _ ” He said, stifling a laugh as he looked down at her. “Where’d you come from?! God, ya didn’t have to  _ scare  _ me like that!” Pink let out a chuckle in response. 

 

“Simple, Blue!” She tapped his forehead as if to emphasize a point. She let go, walking backwards with her arms out as she twirled in an attempt to heighten dramatics. “You told me where you were applying to, yeah? I just waited for you!” 

 

“How sweet.” 

 

“Shut up, dork.” 

 

Pink ran forwards, grabbing his hand in hers and tugging him along. “I have a whole  **day** planned out for us, so let’s go!”

 

Not wanting to dwindle too much on the day, Blue summed it up for his conscience. Pink took him out to lunch in this cute new café that Stacey worked shifts at, then dragged him along to everything they’d enjoy together—a movie, a walk in the park, a casual dinner, all ending the day with attending the local carnival that was occurring around this time of year. 

 

Blue chuckled to himself, recalling how the two went back to Pink’s apartment, almost immediately throwing off most of their clothes and passing out on Pink’s bed.  

 

It wasn’t until 3 A.M. when Blue shot up from his comfortable sleep next to his girlfriend. Pink shifted under her covers, turning her head and blinking russet eyes blearily at him, clearly annoyed by the disturbance of her slumber. “B...Blue?” she asked, yawning. “What’s wrong?” 

 

Blue frowned guiltily. “I can’t stay over, I just remembered—“ He was cut off by Pink’s realization.

 

“You don’t want to miss your last free day in bed before your first day of your new job, don’tcha.” 

 

Blue felt his ears redden in embarrassment as he pulled on his shoes. “Y-Yeah, sorry—“ Pink waved a sleepy hand. 

 

“It’s fine! Stacey wanted me to do something with her tomorrow morning, anyways. You know how she is.” Blue thought back to his own roommate, chuckling. 

 

“Red’s like that, too.” 

 

“ _ Hah! _ ”

 

Blue smiled at her, sighing. As he reached for the doorknob, though, he was thrown back by his own shock as thunder shook the apartment. Blue gasped falling back and hitting the ground with a hiss of pain. “Oh,  _ fuck! _ ” he growled, pushing himself up as he recovered from the recoil. He heard the sound of bed springs creaking as Pink sat up. He couldn’t see it at the time, but her eyes were wide with confusion, hands gripping her bedsheets.

 

“Babe! Are-Are you alright? It’s just thunder..” Pink whispered, leaning forwards as Blue stumbled to his feet, dusting himself off and looking back at her. He waited for a minute, listening to the pattering of rain hitting the window. Then, he opened his mouth. 

 

“I’m fine, Pink. Don’t worry! It was just...a bit of a  _ shock _ .” 

 

“Hilarious.” 

 

Blue gave her a small smile, returning to the door. “Bye, babe.”   
  
“I love you too, Blue.”    
  
He waved, departing from the complex.

 

_ Returning to present day… _

 

As Blue neared his own apartment complex, whistling as he walked, he yawned. God, he was  _ tired _ . He couldn’t wait to get home. Walking in and closing the umbrella, Blue pondered over a question in his mind.  _ Was Red home? _ His, well, extroverted roommate mentioned to him a day or two earlier that there was some huge party he was planning on going to that night, so he wouldn’t be in there. 

 

It would be quieter that way. 

 

Walking past the countless rooms on his floor, Blue finally arrived at his door. Letting out a huff, he shifted all of his belongings to his left side while he fished around his pockets for the key. Once found, he unlocked the door and pushed his way in. Simultaneously, he flicked on the light as he kicked the door closed with the tip of his shoe. “I’m home!” He called as he hung up his coat and dropped his wallet and umbrella on a chair. 

 

Nothing. 

 

Blue laughed to himself. He was right, Red did go to that part—

 

“ _ H-Hcckh—“ _

 

Blue froze. What the fuck was  **that** ?! That sound...he’d never heard it before, but it did remind him of the sound an actor would make when they fell. 

 

Blue frowned, beginning to make his way through the apartment as he tried to find the source of the sound. “Um...hello? Who’s there?” 

 

He stopped, letting silence fill the air as he awaited any response. 

 

“ _ Hh—! _ ”

 

Blue whirled around. There it is again! His eyes locked on the location of which the odd, pain-like noises were coming from. The bathroom. Blue’s brow furrowed, nervousness and fear tying his stomach into knots.  _ Oh, no. _

 

Tenitavely, he made his way over, reaching for the doorknob and grasping it tightly, twisting it. Locked. Hissing, Blue grabbed a bobby pin and shoved it into the keyhole—a skill L.T. had taught him—until the satisfying noise of the lock undoing hit his ears. Once again, he twisted the knob, throwing door open. “WHO—“ he began, his voice rising, before the sight in front of him made his voice die. 

 

_ Oh. _

 

Blue felt the knot in his stomach tighten to the point where he felt it would burst. If it weren’t for being used to seeing crimson, Blue would have  _ definitely  _ thrown up at this point. He…

 

He felt  _ sick _ at what he saw. 

 

Staring at him with wide eyes, hair unkempt and sticking up in an erratic manner and  **_glowing_ ** , was his own roommate. But that wasn’t what Blue was focusing on. It was the surrounding area, it was his  _ arms _ he was looking at. Instinctively, Blue took a shaky, hesitating step back as he fought to focus and take in the sight in front of him. At Red’s feet was an empty bottle of some type of alcohol. Surrounding him, though? Blood. 

 

Blue’s eyes looked at the source. Well, sources. Though he couldn’t quite see it through all of the sickening liquid, there were slashes, tons of them ranging in depth, spanning the length of Red’s arms. That wasn’t even taking into account the fact that Red’s clothing was messed up and bruises littered his skin, particularly his neck. 

 

Looking back up to his face, Blue came to notice that the fiery, terrified light in Red’s eyes was fading. He took a shaky breath. “I-Uh-Hold on, man, I’ll go get the first-aid kit.  _ Don’t move. _ ” Blue sprinted out, making a beeline for the storage room and flicking on the lights, beginning to frantically dig through the boxes. “Come  _ on _ , where’s that stupid-” He felt his hands touch something hard and smooth. Blue’s chest filled with relief as he picked up the first-aid kit Pink had given him. “ _ There! _ ” he gasped, picking it up and rushing back to the bathroom. 

 

Unsurprisingly, Red had not budged, though he made a weak, strained whimpering noise when Blue came close. Blue nervously ran a hand through his hair, kneeling by his side, close enough to help but far enough so that his shoes did not come in contact with the blood. “Hey, buddy, it’s just me. Blue.” Red looked up at him, whispering something that was  _ definitely _ not in any language Blue could recognize, but it reminded him of the term “friend”. Blue nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. “Yeah. It’s...It’s me. Can you lift your arms up for me? Palms up.” Red hesitated, but silently obliged. Blue opened up the kit, pulling out the swabs and the alcohol. “Sorry, this’ll...sting a bit.” He poured some alcohol onto the swab, starting to disinfect the wound. His frown only deepened every time Red would wince at the pain.  _ This isn’t like him. Red rarely reacts to pain. Then again, it isn’t like him to do...this, either. _ Blue threw the swabs in the nearby trashcan, and took out a roll of bandages. “This is the last thing,” he whispered, wrapping Red’s arms in the bandages. As he put the first aid kit away and cleaned the mess off the floor, his throat tightened. He stood up, looking down at Red, who was bandaged up and numb, nothing like the person he’d known for years. He leaned down, doing something he rarely ever did. He hugged Red, whispering “I’m so fuckin’ sorry…” as he did so. 

 

Red didn’t give a response. 

 

Giving a defeated sigh, Blue let go, standing back up. “Come on. You need to get changed and sleep.”  _ For once, _ Blue bit back. He took Red’s right, guiding him to his bedroom and having him change. After coercing him to at least take off the torn, stained pants and change his shirt, Red was finally in bed. Blue wasn’t surprised that he passed out right as he hit the mattress. After pulling a blanket over him, Blue pulled up Red’s desk chair to the edge of the side of the bed adjacent to his roommate, sitting down.

 

It wasn’t long until he fell asleep, too.

 

Dreamless.


	2. Aftershocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue takes time to think about what had happened. 
> 
> He decides to confide in someone about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Min/Minerva Rosaro = Pink  
> Spence/Spencer Navorin = Blue  
> Lucas Crismoria = Red
> 
> (These are the "real" names that will be used in this fic.)

The first thing Blue has heard was the loud, erratic buzzing of an alarm. Letting out a gasp of surprise, he sat up, nearly falling backward out of his chair. Luckily, he regained his balance, letting out a huff of relief. His head immediately snapped to his phone, which was blaring the alarm. Blue hastily turned it off, then sat up, taking in his surroundings.  _ What was going on? _ he blearily thought, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up further.  _ I’m wearing my pajamas, but this isn’t my room. Why am I in a chair _ — Blue was pulled from his thoughts when he looked up at a form on the bed that he had been leaning on in his slumber, and the memories flooded back. 

 

Blue felt himself getting exhausted and nauseous just at the thought of the earlier events. Having the perfect day, all for it to come crashing down when he found Red, his own roommate, one of the most  _ optimistic _ people that he’d ever met, lying in a pool of his own blood in their shared bathroom. His frown only deepened when he looked at the form, his focus allowing him to truly see how Red was faring. Thankfully, the boy was asleep, curled up and leaning on one arm with the other one bent in front of him. Looking closer, Blue could clearly see the bandages that wrapped around his arms. 

 

_ The ones you put on him after he was too  _ **_weak_ ** _ to keep himself together. _

 

_ Shut the  _ _ fuck _ _ up. _

 

Blue grit his teeth, running his fingers through his hair as he focused on something else. It was then that he noticed two things that stood out on Red, just as much as the bandages. The first was the dark circles that lined the rims of his eyes. It put Blue on edge, seeing them. He knew that Red occasionally would not sleep at a normal time compared to most people, but did he  _ never _ sleep? Had Blue neglected to ever notice anything wrong with Red? Was he  _ that _ bad of a friend?

 

_ God. _

 

Blue’s eyes trailed down, feeling his heart sink once he squinted and recognized what was on Red’s visible neck and collarbone. Bruises, finger shaped bruises around his neck as if he’d been  _ strangled _ , and what looked like bite marks. Confusion turned to fear, which became mixed with disgust. Usually, he would clock it up to Red ~meeting someone~ at the party he’d gone to. But the severity of the bites mixed with the strangulation bruises and the fact that something prompted Red to do... _ that _ upon returning home truly said otherwise. Blue made a mental note to interrogate him about that later. 

 

Checking his phone, he noticed that it was already 9 A.M. Standing up, Blue made the conscious decision to not wake Red up at the moment. After whatever he could have possibly gone through in the time prior, Blue wanted to at least give him one thing for him to grasp on to. 

 

Blue yawned, trudging to his room and putting on his glasses before sitting at the kitchen table, leaning on one arm as he stared at the table. 

 

He needed a bit of help. After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed Pink’s number, leaning back as he listened to the tone, waiting for her to pick up. 

 

To Blue’s surprise, her voice soon wafted through the speaker. “Blue?” she said, her tiredness evident through her speaking. “What’s up? It’s early, I’m eating breakfast with Stacey right now.” Blue could hear Stacey chattering on in the background as she was mentioned.

 

Blue made a sad noise. “Hey, do you think you could do something for me?” 

 

Pink, on her end, set down her fork upon hearing the question, along with the serious tone of voice. Stacey, piecing together Pink’s mannerisms, shut up. Pink sighed. “Stacey has her new job, so she can’t help. I’m free, though. Is, uh, everything alright?” 

 

“...You’re good with finding comforting stuff, right?” 

 

“Yeah, why?” 

 

“I need you to get some stuff. Food, items, anything you think would help someone who is in need of—of recovery. I’ll pay you back, I promise.” 

 

Pink stood, pushing her chair in as she pondered in her mind the scenario and job she was given. “I can handle that, hon. Can you tell me why you would need this? It sounds serious—“

 

One word in response, one that made Pink’s blood run cold. 

 

“ **Red** .”

 

Pink gripped her phone tighter, mouthing the word to Stacey, who’s smile disappeared upon understanding. Pink sighed. “On it. If we leave now, I can get there by 10:30 at best. That good?”

 

“Thanks. It’s...It’s perfect.”

 

“Blue? Are you alright?” Pink asked, her voice edged with worry. She was met with a defeated noise. 

 

“You’ll see.” 

 

Blue proceeded to hang up afterwards. 

 

Pink stared at the phone, her eyes betraying her surprise. But it was clear that she ignored this action, grabbing her purse from the coat hanger and looking at Stacey. “Stace. Mind coming with me? I’ll drop you off at work after we’re done.”

 

Stacey tipped her head. “Ah, shit, of course, hold on—“ She hastily pulled on her shoes before continuing to speak. “Why are we doin’ this again?”

 

Pink paused on her way to the door, turning back to her friend. “I don’t know. It’s serious, though, enough for him to ask me for assistance, and…he says that it involves Red.” 

 

That piqued Stacey’s interest. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. “Let’s head out, then.” Pink raised an eyebrow, but nodded, opening the door and walking out, beckoning Stacey to follow. Stacey swooped up her own purse, walking out with her. 

 

Blue, meanwhile, began to prepare breakfast for himself and Red. It had taken a while, having realized that there was a lack of food in their fridge. After some thought, Blue decided on just omelettes. He was glad that he was the one of the two of them who knew how to cook. 

 

After plating the food, Blue made his way back over to Red’s room. The apartment was uncomfortably quiet; usually, it would either be blaring with the music from a video game Blue was playing, or music Red was blasting. 

 

But right now? 

 

_ Nothing _ .

 

Blue felt a shiver run down his spine, but he shook it off as he walked to the door. Hesitantly, he knocked, his thrums gentle and an ear close to the door. “Red? ...Lucas? You, uh, awake?” Not surprised to hear no voice giving a reply to his question (though he could not recall Red’s comfort level with his real name), Blue perked up at the sound of someone—or some _ thing _ —shuffling around inside the room. Blue put his hand on the knob. “Permission to come in?” 

 

No response.

 

Letting out a deep sigh, Blue gripped the knob in his fist, turning it and slowly pushing the door open. Light filtered into the dark room. Making sure not to open the door all the way, Blue squeezed through the small opening between the door and the door frame, taking a deep breath before making his way over to the bed. The person on the bed, however, did not look at him. Red,  _ thankfully _ , appeared to have gotten changed, now sporting an old crimson hoodie and a pair of Adidas shorts. His signature hat was nowhere to be seen. He had propped himself against the headboard, a pillow against his back and his legs crossed in front of him. His hands were hidden in his pockets, and his chin tilted towards the ceiling, blankly staring upwards. Giving a small smile, Blue climbed onto the bed, staying close to read whilst simultaneously giving him space. His smile disappeared once Red visibly  _ flinched _ at his coming closer. Holding up his hands in defense, Blue scooted back a couple of inches, not stopping until Red calmed down. He seemed downcast. 

 

Blue attempted to level the situation while finding answers. “Can you, uh, tell me how you’re feeling?” In response, Red simply pointed to the still-dark strangulation bruises on his neck. Blue raised an eyebrow. “You can’t speak?” Red shook his head. Blue lifted a finger. “Okay. Hold on.” He got off of the bed, making his way to his own room. As he was sifting through his desk, he heard a knock on the apartment door. Blue perked up, pushing himself to his feet and running over. 

 

Blue opened the door, smiling at the visitor. Pink gave him a sympathetic grin, waving at him while her other hand held a collection of bags. Blue tipped his head.  _ Why is she standing there? _ Once he realized why, though, he smacked a hand to his forehead as his face flushed with embarrassment. “Right. Come in, Pink. Sorry about that.” Pink stifled a laugh, following him inside and closing the door behind her. 

 

As she set down the bags on the table, she turned to her boyfriend, concern and curiosity evident in her eyes. Blue immediately understood, beckoning her into his room. Raising an eyebrow, Pink walked in, sitting on the bed while watching Blue taking a handful of deep breaths, one hand on his chest before he, too, walked into the room, taking his time in closing the door before flopping down into his desk chair. 

 

Blue gave her an exhausted frown. “You...You probably want to know what’s, y’know, going on, right?” he asked, sounding wearier with each and every word. 

 

Pink sighed. “I—Well, only if you’re comfortable with it…” She searched for how to formulate her question. “Uh...can you give me a quick summary of, you know, what happened?”

 

Blue nodded along with what she was saying. “Yes, yes, of course. But be warned…” He took a shaky breath. “This is a  _ lot _ of shit.” 

 

Pink gave him a worried thumbs up. 

 

Blue wrung his fingers, suddenly unable to properly look Pink in the eye. “Well, as you probably know, I got home  _ really _ early in the morning, you know, after I left your house. As far as I knew, Red went off to some huge-ass party while I was still with you, I think around 5? I didn’t get any calls or texts from him during that; then again, he isn’t really the kind of person to do that kind of thing. Uh...anyways, I get back to the apartment, it all seems quiet until I—” Blue paused, taking a deep breath in order to keep himself calm. “—Until I hear these hisses of pain. I couldn’t tell who it was, I figured out that the source was from the bathroom, a-and I broke in, and…” Blue trailed off, taking heaving breaths. Thinking about it again, the scene kept playing over and over and  _ over _ in his mind, and Blue was getting those queasy feelings in his gut again and he didn’t  _ want _ to remember what had happened but he had to keep speaking. Pink had a right to know. 

 

Blue clutched his chest, taking one final breath before continuing his recounting of the ordeal. “I was  _ mad _ when I first got in. I was disoriented. I was under the assumption that some asshole had broken in. So I yelled, but I-I couldn’t even speak when I...I saw Red. I thought he was still at the party. But he was  _ right _ there. He was lying there against the toilet, he-he looked  _ dead _ , there was blood everywhere and his arms—they were so messed up and he was so beaten up, this has  _ never  _ happened before and I don’t know what happened or what to do— _ This is  _ **_RED_ ** _ we’re talking about! _ I don’t know what he did to himself or why, I— _ fuck _ —I’m so fucking scared and—” Blue stopped speaking, wringing his hands through his hair and burying his head in his knees as he tried to fight back tears. This isn’t  _ right. _ He just wants to wake up, this has to be a nightmare. It has to be. 

 

Pink covered her mouth in shock as Blue broke down, quickly swooping down and hugging him tightly, rubbing his back. “Deep breaths,  _ Spence. _ I’m here. I’m here…” She continued these motions over and over until he was back in reality. Blue let out a deep sigh, leaning against her shoulder and holding her hand tightly in his. 

 

“I’m scared, Min.”

 

“I know.”

 

Blue gave her a sad look. “Go get the bags. I need to get Red a whiteboard and a marker, then we can...talk to him.” She nodded as a response. 

 

Standing together in front of Red’s door, they hesitated before walking into the still-dark room.

 

Red was glowing once again.  

 

And he was unable to make his tears stop falling. 


	3. Their Hands Around My Neck, Keeping Me Silent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue makes an attempt to calm Red down, to figure out what’s going on. 
> 
> Red, meanwhile, has his whole world falling apart under his feet.
> 
> And it isn’t quite something he could keep inside forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR WARNING: There is reference to rape and drugging later in the chapter. Please be wary. 
> 
> Also: Yes, Red and Blue were high-school lovers in the past of this. Secret, of course.

He couldn’t breathe. 

 

_ Gods, he couldn’t BREATHE. _

 

Red was hunched over, one hand wrung in his crimson hair and the other gripped against his face as his chest heaved in a manner that would make one think it would  _ explode _ . His heart pounded. It hurt so,  _ so  _ much. But he couldn’t stop it. Attempts at regulating his breathing quickly deemed fruitless; it felt like his hands were around his neck again, it felt like she was holding weights against his chest. It was only making things worse. 

 

He thought he was okay. He was Lucas Crismoria, he was  **_Red_ ** , what happened at that party shouldn’t have fazed him in the slightest. Yet it did. It wasn’t  _ supposed _ to happen. He wasn’t supposed to react like this. What the fuck was going on? What’s wrong with him? It shouldn’t have hurt. He should have shook it off. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. 

 

That negative feeling blossomed into a storm once he felt something on his face. His eyes. It didn’t take Raccoon to figure out what was going on.  _ Fuck, he was crying, he’s so fucking weak, stop it, STOP IT.  _ Unfocused, Red used his free hand to wipe away the tears, to try and do  _ anything _ to alleviate the pain. 

 

It didn’t work. 

 

And with what they did—with what they did to  _ him _ —he could not cry for help. He was going to die. He wouldn’t be like this if it weren’t for them. He wouldn’t be a mess, a child, if it weren’t for that stupid, stupid party. 

 

Everything was going black. 

 

He—

 

“—ed!” 

 

Someone’s voice called out, just barely breaking through the darkness. But  _ who? _ Wasn’t Red still at the party? Where was he? He…

 

He didn’t want to be alone.

 

Someone grabbed his shoulders, rather roughly even though that “someone” had meant to be as gentle as possible. Instinctively, Red let out a broken cry, too weak, too  _ scared _ to pull away. It didn’t work before. How would it work again? His throat pulsed with agony as he yelled, prompting Red to grit his teeth. 

 

He hurts so much. 

 

Yet the voice, that voice that sounded so familiar but he couldn’t quite  _ place  _ broke through the darkness. The grip on his shoulders became more and more evident. 

 

“Red— _ Lucas _ —Please! C’mon, buddy, I know you’re still in there! I-I miss you!  _ You can do it! God, p-please! _ ”

 

Who was that?

 

“Red, I know we’ve...had our differences, but I’ve known you enough to know that you’re strong! Come back!” 

 

Huh?

 

A single memory blossomed in Red’s mind as the chains pulled him deeper and deeper into the murky darkness…

 

_ Red was curled up against the foot of his bed, his head buried in his hands as he tried to keep himself grounded. The double room in Blue’s _ — _ that was his name, right? _ — _ house felt tighter and tighter despite the immense size it allowed for the two people residing inside it. He grit his teeth as his chest rapidly rose and fell.  _

 

_ He wasn’t ready to be a sophomore anymore. He can’t go back to school. He  _ **_can’t_ ** _.  _

 

_ Red’s eyes shot open, a small gasp escaping his mouth as he heard the door open. No.  _

 

_ “Lucas?” Blue called, his voice cracking as he pushed open the door. “You in there? I heard you left school early, weren’t feelin’ well or something, I got your homework for you…”  _

 

_ Red sniffled. “F-Fuck off,” he whispered through gritted teeth, pressing more against his bed. He felt himself beginning to cry. They said that was weakness. The kids at school said that boys who cried were weak.  _

 

_ So what was he? _ _  
_

 

_ He heard heavy, hurried footsteps stumbling over to him. Blue, so confident then even though his face was covered in pimples (though, he shouldn’t talk, he has braces), was crouching right beside him, his face contorted in worry, the teenage boy not exactly knowing what to do. Even when he was little, Red was never one to show any negative emotion, not even hatred. Blue gave a shaky sigh, edging closer and sitting next to Red, hesitating before gently prying one of Red’s hands off of his face and taking it in his own.  _

 

_ Red turned, wide, chestnut eyes staring right at Blue. He opened his mouth to say something, anything but nothing came out. All he seemed to have the power to do was cry.  _

 

_ Blue’s frown only deepened at the lack of response. He leaned over, letting Red rest his head on his shoulder. “...Are you okay, Lucas?”  _

 

_ Red just barely craned his head to look up at Blue. “I can’t do this.”  _

 

_ “That’s a lie. We grew up together. You can.”  _

 

_ Red shoved himself back, wrenching away from Blue. “I-I fucking can’t, Spencer! I’m failing my fucking schooling, all I’ve done is mess up! I can’t deal with this anymore—“  _

 

_ He was interrupted by Blue’s hand on his shoulder. “Please, d-don’t...don’t say shit like that.” Blue leaned in, putting a gentle hand on Red’s back as he gently touched his forehead to Red’s own, kissing him gently before pulling away. Blue felt his face heat up as he realized Red’s face was, well, red, his face blank with shock as tears streamed down his face. “Oh...oh my god, I’m so sorry—” Blue was cut off by Red lunging forwards, falling into his arms and wrapping his arms around him as he buried his face in Blue’s collarbone and cried.  _

 

_ Blue blinked in surprise, before returning the hug.  _

 

_ “T-Thank you.” _

 

Red’s eyes shot open. The room was silent, the static in his ears now gone. The only thing left was the sound of breathing and the ticking of a rusty analog clock on his wall. 

 

His wall. 

 

Was he in his room? In the apartment? There’s...there couldn’t be anywhere else. Cyrus’s room didn’t have an analog clock. 

 

Was he safe?

 

It took Red only seconds to realize that the entire room was dark, the only lights being the filtered fluorescent from outside his door and a barely noticeable red glow. Unfortunately yet fortunately for him, the light disappeared once Red focused on it. This, however, got the attention of someone else in the room. 

 

After his attempts at getting Red to snap out of it did not work, Blue had gone into a panic. Pink left to give the two of them space and to go food shopping for him and Red’s empty fridge, leaving Blue alone. All alone with his dissociating, broken roommate and no ideas left in his mind to fix him. He was pacing back and forth, his glasses lopsided and his hands wrung in his hair as he fought to control his breathing. He was going to lose Red. His first friend. One of his only friends. 

 

Until the light went out. 

 

Blue stopped where he was standing, lowering a hand to readjust his glasses before he whirled around, staring right at the figure on the bed. 

 

He never thought he would feel such relief, seeing Red looking at him. Red, not kicking and screaming, not staring into space, but eyes with life in them actually focused on Blue. “Oh, thank  **_fuck_ ** ,” Blue gasped, his heart beating at a more comfortable level now. Blue’s arms returned to their sides as he took a deep breath, scrambling forwards and falling into the chair right beside Red’s bed. He leaned forwards, gently taking Red’s right hand in his and looking up at him. “Red, you okay, buddy?” 

 

In response, Red’s head snapped up, his face scrunching up as he seemed to be holding back more tears. He opened his mouth, trying to make a sound with his damaged vocals. “Spen...cer…?” He whispered, clearly straining to speak with each and every breath. Blue trembled in his surprise, unable to fully convey a response. 

 

But he wouldn’t be able to give one now, because Red ignored the aching of his own injuries and fell into Blue’s arms, too weak to fully wrap his arms around the taller man as he sobbed, whimpering at every pain in his chest as it heaved. Without hesitation, Blue returned the gesture, holding Red close and rubbing circles on his back as the smaller boy’s entire body convulsed. “I’m here,” Blue whispered quietly. “I’m here.” Red clung to Blue’s shirt, not letting go until the tears were gone and his breathing was at least close to normal.

 

Blue let out a sigh after the two had sat in silence for quite a bit, catching Red’s attention. He rested his head utop Red’s. “Red…” Blue whispered, looking down at him. “Can you...tell me that happened at the party?” 

 

Red let go almost immediately, pointing at his throat once more. 

 

Blue gave a small smile. “I have something for you to write with, don’t worry. Stay here.” He lifted a finger, then pushed himself out of the chair as he made his way to a pile of bags in the corner of the room. Red could only watch as Blue pulled something out of one bag and two out of another. He turned, making his way back over to Red and sitting back down, his hands carefully positioned behind his back. “First,” Blue began as Red pulled a blanket around his shoulders, “You can use this to write.” Red’s eyes widened in surprise as he was handed a simple whiteboard and an Expo marker, setting it down on his lap and absently twirling the marker between his fingers as he gave a thumbs up with the other hand. Blue sported a tiny grin as he pulled out the other object, causing Red to give a tiny gasp as he laid eyes on the item. “Pink, ah, said you would like this. You can probably figure out why.” Red’s eyes seemed to glow, as did his hair, as he took it into his arms and inspected it. 

 

It was simple, it was childish, but at this point, it made Red feel something close to happiness. In his hands was a stuffed blue bear with a scarlet bow, fluffy and soft. It reminded him of Blue, which was more than likely the point.  _ Thanks, Pink, _ Red thought, trying to make his lips form a smile, but to his horror he couldn’t. 

 

He couldn’t smile. 

 

Red sighed, setting the bear down onto his lap before his bandaged hands picked up the board and marker. He scrawled two words on the board, grip trembling: [ _ Ask Away. _ ]

 

Blue took a shaky breath in preparation. This was going to be a  _ lot,  _ wasn’t it. He feared how much shit Red had gone through. But this couldn’t wait any longer. “Okay, uh, first question. It’s a long one, but short at the same time. What  _ happened _ , Lucas?”  _ Nicknames were out the window. This was personal.  _

 

Red’s pupils contracted, and it was evident that he was remembering a lot, and  _ none of it  _ was bound to be good. Despite this, he gripped the marker, beginning to write. 

 

[ _ I got to the party at 5. It was normal. I talked to people, I danced, I drank. Not a lot. Not good refreshments. Went bad at midnight. _ ]

 

“...Lucas?” Blue said, his voice quiet. Red did not look him in the eyes, erasing the board and continuing to write. Red didn’t want to cry. 

 

[ _ I was on the couch. Relaxing. Some people came over, being friendly. I trusted them. Mistake. One of them gave me something, I took it, passed out. I woke up still in the house. On a bed. _ ]

 

Blue’s eyes widened. Red kept writing, as if something was forcing him to. 

 

[ _ Same two people from earlier. They were smiling. I couldn’t move. I was scared. One of them locked the door. Introduced themselves. The other one grabbed me. Got on top of me as the other one walked over. They— _ ]

 

Red stared at the board, unblinking, before frantically erasing it. He looked like he was going to vomit. Trembling, Blue outstretched a hand to comfort him, but Red’s grip tightened around the marker, and he started writing again. 

 

[ _ Left me there after a while. Threw clothes at me. Laughed and left. I got dressed and ran home. Took a long time. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry. Sorry. Sorry. _ ]

 

“W-What were their names?” 

 

[ _ Cyrus and Alicia _ ]

 

At that point, Red threw the board and the marker to the floor, legs folding into himself as his hands wrung into his hair and tugged violently, already dislodging a few stray hairs. Blue slapped a hand over his mouth, pushing his way onto the bed and gently grasping Red’s wrists, pulling them away from Red’s hair. Once removed, Blue fully saw how much of a mess Red was. 

 

Red was full-on sobbing, snot running out of his nose with his teeth grit. His face was red and he couldn’t stop shaking. Blue cupped his face, forcing Red—whose head pounded and could barely breathe as he tried to  _ forget _ —to look at him. “Red,” Blue whispered, pressing his forehead against the other’s, “Look at me. Hand against my chest. Match my breathing.” Red had no choice but to press his hand against Blue’s chest, mimicking the motions until it felt semi-human. Blue let out a hoarse sigh, handing Red the stuffed bear before moving him do he was laying down, holding him close. 

 

Blue’s fear and horror was replaced with anger as Red passed out from his exhaustion. Anger and pure  **_disgust_ ** .

  
“I’m going to fuckin’ kill them for what they did to you, Lucas.  _ I’ll kill them. _ ”


	4. Cyrus and Alicia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the main events transpire, we take a look into the current lives of our two antagonists, the perpetrators of Red's trauma. 
> 
> They're surprisingly having the time of their lives. 
> 
> And that, dear reader, is not meant to be taken in a positive light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small warning for stalkerish + creepy content. 
> 
> I was slightly inspired by a character my friend and I wrote named Brutus, who is worse than Alicia and Cyrus combined. 
> 
> -Ray

On the other side of town, things were almost the complete opposite in terms of the mood. A tall, sophisticated woman, round glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, strut down the street as if she did not have a care in the world. In her bag was simple groceries and books; all things she knew that she and her partner were going to need. 

 

Life for her, unlike others, was  _ good _ . 

 

It was not long until she’d arrived at her destination. Giving a contented sigh, she pushed her way through the revolving doors, a smile spreading across her tanned face as a wave of A/C hit her face. As she strolled through the lobby, the receptionist looked up, blinking in surprise before a formal grin showed on the man’s face. “Miss Vaughn,” he greeted in a calm tone, “What a pleasure to see you again. Did your, ah, errands go well?”

 

The woman nodded, a single glance to the man before she continued her trek towards the elevator. Her finger hovered over the “Up” button when she was once again interrupted by the receptionist. One might find this creepy, but the man was a close friend of hers; the two had met in college, him being the roommate of her current roommate. She turned. “Yes, Vincent?” 

 

Vincent smiled, leaning on the counter. “How was that party on Saturday? You and Cyrus spent a pretty damn long time there.” 

 

Alicia, that sly devil of a woman, smiled as if she’d gone to a Sweet 16. “Why, just  _ marvelous _ . Cyrus and I had loads of fun. We made a friend!” 

 

Vincent leaned on his elbow. “Ah, really? My dear, you must show me him sometime.” 

 

All she responded with was a thumbs-up before pressing the up button and  walking into the elevator, turning a key and pressing one of the selections, laughing to herself as the arrows lit up, the elevator car grinding to a stop when she reached her—well,  _ their  _ floor.

 

Upon walking into the foyer of her penthouse, the first thing that had welcomed her was the sound of heavy rock music not too far away. Alicia held back a snort, knowing exactly who would be playing something like that. Instead of immediately making her way over to there, though, she made a beeline for the kitchen, dropping the groceries on the table. 

 

Okay.  _ Now _ she could go to the other room.

 

As she traversed the hall, the music grew louder. Alicia cupped her hands around her mouth, raising her voice. “Cyrus!” she called, narrowing her eyes. “You in there?” 

 

“Come in, Ally, come  _ in! _ ” a deeper voice responded almost as soon as she had finished speaking. 

 

Alicia tipped her head.  _ Ally? Cyrus must be excited about  _ _ something. _ Letting out a disgruntled sigh, she made her way into what the two of them considered the office, even though it only housed the two tenants and was more of a library than any. Alicia opened the door, seeing Cyrus hunched over his computer, his fingers dashing across the keyboard before he pressed ‘enter’ and leaned back in his desk chair, grinning at his cohort. “Ey, Alicia,” he said, lazily waving at her. “You got the groceries?”    


 

Alicia rolled her eyes. “Yes, but cut the polite shit. You’re up to something, Cyrus Duvis-Khan. So? Spill.” 

 

“Sit at your desk,” Cyrus calmly instructed after a bout of awkward silence. Cocking an eyebrow, Alicia obliged, sitting in her own desk chair adjacent to Cyrus. She turned the chair so that her and Cyrus were facing one another, then nodded to him. 

  
“Tell me what is going on now, Cy.” 

 

Cyrus’s serious demeanor fizzed away, a smirk growing on his face. “So, you know how I’m good with tech, yeah?” Alicia nodded, narrowing her eyes. “I decided on a plan. And I’ve been doing research, but I didn’t want to really put anything into action before I got a second opinion.

 

Alicia sucked in a breath, leaning forwards in her chair and gripping the arms of it. “...Where are you going with this?” she asked suspiciously, her eyes darkening. But Cyrus just let out a chuckle. 

 

“I figured, with our talent, maybe we could go a little further than our skills can normally go.” Alicia clearly looked confused, and Cyrus sighed, shaking his head. “Remember the one from that party we went to?” 

 

Alicia’s eyes sparked, and she leaned back, a smile on her face. “Yes. What did he say his name was?  _ Red? _ ”    


 

“Affirmative. I think I’ll track him down. From what you saw…” Cyrus chewed the end of a pencil he had picked up. “He seemed familiar with some of the partygoers, yes?” Alicia nodded, and Cyrus continued. “I think...I think  _ it _ lives in proximity. Likely in the city.” 

 

Alicia blinked, before her edges softened up.  _ Cyrus was right. “It” fit better for Red than anything else.  _ “That’s likely probable...so what’s your plan? Scour the internet? Do research?” Cyrus nodded excitedly. Alicia sighed. “It’s a great idea, Cy, I must admit. What should I do while you look?”    


 

“ _ Relax _ , dar-ling,” Cyrus drawled out, leaning on his hands and watching Alicia glare daggers at him. “You just do what you normally work on. I will be  _ sure _ to alert you if I find anything.” 

 

And with that, the music started back up, filling the room and erasing the silence the recent conversation had left behind. Rolling her eyes, Alicia spun around, powering her computer on and working, growing more and more bored with each passing minute. As she typed, her mind drifted to the party. 

 

Alicia and Cyrus loved social events, but  _ parties _ were never their thing. A ‘lone wolf’, one might call the pair, but they did not quite  _ fit _ that stereotype. They were wolves, in a sense. Hunters, foxes, and  _ predators.  _ That was how it had been since middle school; they were the top of the totem pole, they were the Queen Bee and King Wasp, there wasn’t quite anything they weren’t able to beat. Even something like college had become a breeze.  _ Maybe not for Vincent _ , Alicia thought to herself,  _ But he is happy, he is living a good life. _ Back to the present, Alicia and Cyrus would never have expected that they would enjoy that city party so much. People alike them were there. Drinks and food were great. 

 

But the best part? Alicia stifled a chuckle when she thought of that golden nugget, knowing well that, even over the music, Cyrus would pause what he was doing and ask what she found so hysterical at the moment.  _ The best part of the party was their prey, their target. The...one known as “Red”.  _ Alicia heard his screams, slowly dying as hands pressed against his throat, looping around in her head. Beautiful. She should attempt to correct herself as she spoke and thought of Red. 

 

She wondered to herself what happened to  _ it _ , they left it there and it was gone when they’d checked an hour later.  _ Hopefully _ the toy hadn’t died. Wouldn’t that be unfortunate. She shook her head with a contented sigh, focusing back on reality and working in music-filled silence before a voice cut through her calamity. 

 

“ _ Shit, _ Alicia!” she heard Cyrus gasp, “Come over here! You would not  _ believe _ what I’ve uncovered.” Alicia’s eyes widened, and she instinctively put a hand over her mouth, shooting up from her chair and leaving it spinning as she made her way over to Cyrus’s desk, leaning against the side of his chair. 

 

“What is it?” she asked, her voice laced with curiosity and fear. 

 

Cyrus turned his head to look at her. “So I was searching, I ran the name “Red” through Instagram, and I come across  _ this. _ ” He jabs his thumb at the screen, and Alicia leans in and narrows her eyes as she views what’s on his display. An instagram page, belonging to someone with the username “red.xplosion”. And the icon of the user? None other than Red  himself itself, a selfie  _ it _ had taken. At the very party the duo had met it at. 

 

Seems like Red really did have a fun time before midnight. 

 

Alicia tore her eyes away from the page after staring at it for a couple of minutes. “Is that  _ all _ you found, Cy?” Cyrus snorted. 

 

“Do you  _ think _ that that’s all I found, Ally?” Cyrus clicked away from the tab, giving a sideways glance to his roommate before hovering over another tab. “I figured that ‘Red’ can’t  _ possibly _ be his real name, can it? So I dug through a ton of things, and I found something else. I found something, a database, kind of a Facebook page. I look at this person, and you know what I realize? Same person.” Cyrus clicked on the tab, and another page came up. Alicia’s eyes widened, and she stood back in shock. Cyrus nodded along with her reaction. “He isn’t  _ Red _ , he’s  _ Lucas _ . Lucas Crismoria. There’s another name locked in the database, but we both know what THAT is.” 

 

Alicia sighed. “Of course. It was obvious, we knew, but now there’s more to place to it.” 

 

Cyrus continued. “An address, unfortunately, isn’t listed. I’m still in the process of looking for it. But I  _ did _ find another Instagram account.”    


 

“ _ Another _ one?” 

 

“For Lucas,” Cyrus calmly answered. Another Instagram page showed up on his screen, this time for a user named “crismorii”.  _ Like Crismoria.  _ It wasn’t too interesting of a page, more aesthetically pleasing posts with a calamity and humanity that felt like the polar opposite of red.xplosion. Cyrus didn’t wait for a response from Alicia before talking once more. “ _ Two _ constants. That hat we stole when we left him,” he gestured to the one hanging on Alicia’s station, “And  _ him _ .” Cyrus clicked between the two Instagram pages, pointing at a man with dyed blue hair and tan skin that appeared in a good handful of pictures on both accounts. “His name is  _ Blue _ on the ‘Red’ account,  _ Spencer _ on the ‘Lucas’ account. Nothing special on his accounts, though there is this one woman who is likely his girlfriend who appears with him every now and then. Not important.” 

 

Cyrus turned away from his computer. “So, what’s the plan?” 

 

Alicia fell back into her own chair, staring at the ceiling with her hand on her chin in thought before she blinked, a grin spreading across her face. She had an idea. “Let’s not jump into things. Let’s go  _ slowly _ . The occasional interaction on social media, the odd politeness if we happen to see him in public, the slowly intersecting with him,  **_all while you look for Red’s location_ ** . We can figure out other things along the way, but alas, it is best to be simple, yes?”    


 

Cyrus nodded in thought, before giving her a single fingergun. “I like how you think, Ally. So…” He extended a hand. “Ready to claim our prize, our brand new  _ puppet? _ ”  

 

Alicia grinned, shaking his hand. “ _Our_ _perfect little plaything,_ ” she responded without a beat.

 

Cyrus smirked, pulling his hand away. “Let’s work for a bit longer. Then go out.”    


 

As the two turned back to their computers, both shared the same thought. 

  
_ Watch your back, Red, Lucas. You will be  _ **_ours_ ** .


	5. Two Birds on a Wire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days after the incident, the two make vain attempts to stay "normal". Red tries to recover, and Blue settles into his new job whilst simultaneously researching how to enact justice on the ones who hurt Red and taking care of Red himself. 
> 
> Unfortunately, tensions are rising, and it won't be long until somebody breaks. 
> 
> Red is dangling over a void of his own shattering sanity, but tries to keep it under wraps; he doesn't want Blue to see.
> 
> Time is running out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING: There is a sequence in this chapter which contains a vague r*pe flashback. If this makes you uncomfortable, skip the section formatted completely in italics. 
> 
> This is dark, reader. Be wary.

To put it frankly, Blue was fucking  _ pissed _ . 

 

He’d been mad before. Something would happen in school that would set him off, he’s had tantrums when he was a kid, Red’s done his fair share of shit that made Blue upset. But this? This was  _ far _ beyond what Blue was used to. He’d never felt such negative emotions before, so  _ many  _ of them at once. 

 

He was  **distraught** at the fact that his own best friend and roommate had gotten hurt so badly. 

 

**Helpless** and  **worthless** because he didn’t see the signs, he was so wrapped up in the current situation that he never seemed to notice that Red was showing any signs of pain. 

 

But most prominently, the main thing that he’d felt after the initial shock of seeing one of the only people he cared about bleeding out, was  **disgust** .  **Fury** .  **OUTRAGE** .

 

_ Never _ had Blue heard of anyone outside of television who could be so  _ cruel _ , so  _ heartless _ . And towards RED of all people! Red may be an asshole sometimes, but he’s extroverted, he’s friendly, he’s a great person to be around! What kind of monster would  _ do _ that to him?! Red didn’t deserve this. Red didn’t deserve  any of this. Blue wanted to make them  _ pay _ for tearing his best friend apart like that. 

 

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he pulled himself from his thoughts and focused back on the present at hand. It had been 4 days since the incident, and Blue had been working around the clock to keep things stable. He, first and foremost, made an agreement with his new boss to let him work from home after the first day for an unassumed amount of time. At first the woman was suspicious, but when Blue gave an explanation she was adamant on letting Blue work from home. It would make it easier to take care of Red. When he was not working though, Blue was doing research. He was studying, figuring out how he could get this reported to the police so justice could be properly served. 

 

Legal systems, though, were difficult. Blue decided in the end that he would wait until Red felt stable enough to make their way down to the Special Victims Unit precinct to file a report. Hospitals were useless at this point, unless they could somehow do a rape kit on Red this far along. It was likely that the answer was no, but they would wait until the time comes to sort that out. 

 

Blue was in the middle of finishing up some paperwork when he heard the sound of a door creaking. That could only be one person. Blue turned, adjusting his glasses as he looked up at the person standing at the bedroom doorway. 

 

Red blinked blearily at Blue, the light hurting his eyes, but didn’t complain. He just trudged over to the couch Blue was seated at, collapsing on it and hugging his arms tightly to his chest. “Hey,” Red hoarsely mumbled, leaning against the arm of the chair and staring at the ground. 

 

Blue had to be strong for him, and smiled. “Morning, Re—“

 

“ _ Lucas _ .” 

 

Blue blinked, startled and confused at the sudden interruption. “What?” He asked Red. Red just flinched. 

 

“P-Please call me Lucas,” Red forced out, “I—I can’t fuckin’ deal with being called ‘Red’ right now.” He looked even more upset after speaking. 

 

Blue frowned, before his face lit up with sympathy. “Of course, Lucas,” he said quietly. He resumed working, before feeling someone leaning on his shoulder, hair tickling his neck. “You could have slept in, Lucas…” he whispered worriedly, seeing how the movement made Red slouch more. 

 

Red shook his head, not moving. “It’s fine,” he whispered. 

 

Over the past couple of days, though, that very phrase screamed “LIE” to Blue. Blue learned of the various things that triggered Red’s memories of the party, like soda and club music, but after the attacks had passed Red at acted like it was  _ nothing _ . Hell, Red even claimed his injuries—the slashes on his arms, the bruises on his neck, the bite marks—were “nothing to worry about”. Strange, since Red refused to look at himself in the mirror, tried to cover them up, and winced when they brushed something. But, alas, Blue knew that the last thing Red wanted was to feel like he was being treated like a fragile child. So he made the best effort to make things as “normal” as possible, which was difficult given the fact that the pair’s normal equated to daily chaos and adventure. 

 

Blue sighed. “Alright. Do you want me to make you breakfast?” In response, Red gave a thumbs-up, and Blue shifted, allowing Red to lay down on the couch before he stood, setting his computer aside and making his way over to the refrigerator. Blue made a mental note to thank Pink  _ again _ for being kind and generous enough to go food shopping for the two of them. It had been weeks since he’d had so much food in the apartment. Not turning his head, Blue aimed the next question at Red. “What do you want?” he called. 

 

“I-I don’t care,” Red quietly replied, “Just make eggs or somethin’.” Blue nodded, making his way to the kitchen and taking out the ingredients. As he cooked, neither of them spoke.  _ What was there to say? _ Red didn’t want to speak, and Blue didn’t know the right words. Blue gave a weak smile, handing the plate, with a simple omelette on it, to Red. He patiently waited for Red to sit up before resuming his place next to him, stretching and reopening his computer, once again beginning to type. They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, with Blue focusing on his work and Red forcing down his breakfast. Surprisingly, though. It was Red who broke the silence. “You’re really enjoying your new job, huh,” he muttered, a weak edge to his voice. Blue raised an eyebrow, but responded. 

 

“Yeah, it’s everything I wanted,” Blue answered, humming softly to himself as he typed. He heard the sound of oxygen being sucked through teeth. 

 

“You should’ve just gone to the job and left me here,” Red mumbled, gripping his sweatshirt sleeves tightly and gritting his teeth. Blue’s eyes widened, and he whipped his head around, staring at Red even though Red’s back was to him. 

 

“Wh— _ Lucas! _ ” Blue gasped, shocked. “What the fuck is that supposed to  _ mean?! _ ”

 

“You s-shouldn’t have to worry about me. You should be able to live your own life.” 

 

Blue narrowed his eyes. “ _ Live my own _ —Lucas! You’re my friend! I have to protect you, you’re in no state to be alone right now!”

 

“Then you should have left me to bleed when you found me.” 

 

Blue slapped a hand over his mouth. “Lucas…”

 

But it was too late; Red had already shoved himself to his feet, leaving a half-eaten plate of eggs on the couch as he limped over to his room, slamming the door closed. Blue wavered, before letting out a defeated sigh and resuming his work, albeit at a slower and more stilted pace. Any energy he had was gone after that argument.

* * *

 

_ Red shot to his feet. The world around him was monochromatic, shadowed. A wave of fatigue hit him, making his vision more and more blurry. “Where...Where am I?” He squinted, whirling his head around. Nothing stood out as recognizable to him, and Red found himself becoming more and more on edge with every passing second. He was trembling. Red began to space out, before the feeling of wind tickling his arms caught his attention and brought him back to…”reality”.  _

 

_ His arms. _

 

_ Red’s gaze flitted to his arms. He turned them, his eyes widening. The bandages that Blue had wrapped around his arms not too long ago were gone, leaving his still-healing wounds open for everyone to see. He quickly turned away, feeling queasy.  _

 

_ He didn’t want to see this. He didn’t want to have to see his mistakes.  _

 

_ Red shook his head, attempting to dispel the thoughts and keep himself calm and grounded. Unfortunately, as the world cleared around his feet, that goal seemed so, so far away. The first thing Red heard was music, loud, booming club hits. The voices of people crowded his thoughts before they disappeared, leaving just silhouettes of party-goers, but no sound coming from their mouths. Red’s pupils contracted, and he backed away. Trying to clear his throat was a horrible idea, as all he could taste was soda.  _

 

_ Red felt like he was going to vomit.  _

 

_ He tried to run to the front door of the house. Emphasis on  _ _ tried _ _ , as a phantom collar, translucent and glowing, clamped around his neck. Chains attached to it yanked him backwards, sending him flying through the house, though it felt more like open space, as he didn’t really feel  _ there _.  _

 

_ Suddenly, he couldn’t recognize where he was. It was once again the open, shadowy landscape. He, though, was lying on something soft, unable to move. Two voices cut through the windy silence, dripping with both glee and malice.  _

 

_ “Red, yes? Thank you so much for accepting our drinks.” _

 

_ “You’re going to love this.”  _

 

He isn’t. Let him go. 

 

_ Red could barely see anything. If ✌︎●︎ _ _ ☩☍☞☾ _ _ and ★♛♣ _ _ ⚑♆ _ _ were there, he certainly couldn’t see them. Despite the lack of vision, Red felt hands on him. Before he could react, one ripped of his shirt, covering his eyes with it to act as a sort of blindfold. He felt hands lower, but they felt far...smoother than the other one. Somehow, the rougher hands caught his attention.  _

 

_ Likely because they were grabbing something he didn’t want  _ **_anyone_ ** _ putting their hands near.  _

 

_ “What’s this?” ✌︎●︎☩☍☞☾ said tauntingly, pulling at Red’s binder. _

 

_ “D-Don’t touch that.”  _

 

_ ✌︎●︎☩☍☞☾ ignored him, taking it off and throwing it into the darkness. _

 

_ Red’s horror at what ✌︎●︎☩☍☞☾ had done only grew as he felt the other hands, the ones belonging to ★♛♣⚑♆, pulling something else. No.  _

 

_ “Well aren’t  _ you _ full of surprises,”  ★♛♣⚑♆ said.  _

 

_ Red began to cry, earning hands around his neck, the rougher hands. He couldn’t breathe.  _

 

_ He didn’t want this _ —

 

Red shot up from his bed, nearly falling over the side as he lurched forwards. He clutched his chest with one hand, feeling a scream coming on but biting on his remaining hand to silence himself.  _ Why did he have to remember that?  _

 

He couldn’t let Blue know, he couldn’t let Blue see his weaknesses. He felt so fucking  _ disgusting. _ Rocking back and forth to calm himself down, he did not stop either hand. Exhaustion took a grip on him, and Red fell back onto his bed, his breathing heavy as he drifted into a now empty dreamscape.

* * *

 

Blue rubbed his eyes as he put a hand on Red’s bedroom door. It was late in the morning, and he wanted to at least apologize to Red for the way he had acted the morning prior. Knocking on the door gave no response, as was to be expected. He turned the knob, opening the door and making his way over to the bed.

 

To say he was shocked and confused was an understatement. 

 

The pillows and blankets were thrown astray, and the blankets and comforter were either on the floor or falling off the bed. The blue bear was on the bed, too, but far away from the owner. In the center of it all, though, was Red, curled up with one hand on his chest and another in his mouth, as if he bit it. 

 

Blue sucked in a breath. What the hell  _ happened _ to him? 

 

Dumb question, Spencer. 

 

As he was making his way over to the other side of the bed, though, he heard the sound of something vibrating. Red’s phone was on his nightstand. Blue’s eyes flitted left and right in caution. He wanted to respect Red’s privacy, but at the same time he was itching to know who, if anyone, was texting him this early in the morning. Blue picked up the phone, pressing the power button and watching the screen light up. He squinted, staring at the Caller IDs for only seconds before he held back a gasp. 

 

Texts, calls, and the like from two callers, one “C” and one “A”. 

 

Blue now knew what those two abbreviations meant due to his interrogation of Red a couple of days ago. 

 

Quickly unlocking the phone and blocking the numbers, Blue stepped back, wringing both of his hands through his hair. 

 

They didn’t have time. 

 

They had to contact the police  _ soon _ , or else Cyrus and Alicia would do worse to Red, if that was even possible. 

 

As Blue took out his own phone, he cast a sad glance to Red’s sleeping form before calling 911. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My English Honors teacher wants to read this fic. Isn't that dandy. I'm actually posting this chapter from his class. (Wrow)
> 
> -Ray


	6. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Blue go to the police precinct to file a report and get interviewed.
> 
> None of it goes as planned, but at least that's something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR WARNING: This chapter discusses drugs, rape/non-con, and general crime. Viewer discretion is definitely advised.

One thing Blue did to calm down in times of stress was tap his feet on the ground or thrum his fingers on the table. As he waited for Red to emerge from his room, this is exactly what he did. They needed to go to the precinct; Blue’s call for 911 redirected him to set up an appointment at the local SVU. Blue had told Red the news once the younger had woken up, and while Red seemed upset that the call had been done without his consent, he understood the urgency of the situation. At the moment, Blue felt relieved that they were finally reporting the case to the police, but at the same time, he was afraid; afraid of Red getting targeted again, afraid of him not being taken seriously because he wasn’t a “typical” assault victim. But he had to keep himself calm and rational. They could help Red. 

 

When Red was stressed, he tugged on his hoodie strings. Why else would he wear his hoodie everywhere?  _ Well, besides the bandages on his arms.  _ He should have been already out of his room, with him and Blue making their way to the precinct. Red should be happy, but he was  _ terrified _ . He didn’t want to be turned into a laughing stock, or an embarrassment, or have  _ them _ come back for him. Red didn’t want that. He loved action but he didn’t want  _ this _ . He wondered what Blue thought of him now. Sure, Blue was protective of him, he was taking care of him, but was it just pity? Red hated to get pity. But he couldn’t hold this in for longer, no matter how low his doubt took him. Tugging the strings of his hoodie nervously, he grabbed his phone off of his nightstand and made his way towards his door. 

 

_ Now or never. _

 

Blue’s head shot up as he heard the door click open, seeing Red walking out with his head low. Oh, thank god. Without missing a beat, Blue stood up, pushing his chair in and walking over to Red, who just stared at the ground and gripped the strings of his sweatshirt. Blue gave a soft smile, putting his hands on Red’s shoulders. “Hey,” he whispered softly, prompting Red to just barely look up at him. “You okay?” 

 

Red didn’t look Blue in the eyes. “No,” he forced out, “But I know I have to do this shit. Sooner or later.” Blue frowned. 

 

“Tell me if you want to take a breather, okay? You know that I care about you.” 

 

“Mhm.” 

 

Blue sighed. “Come on. If we leave now, we can get there on time.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

Blue stepped back, taking Red’s hand in his and gently squeezing it before leading him out the door. Red’s face burned at the gesture, but he just stared straight ahead.  _ Not the time.  _

 

As they walked outside the complex, Red was surprised to go from the brisk silence of the building’s interior to the crowded noise of the city streets. The past week had just been quiet, his own screams, Blue’s voice trying to calm him down every now and then. Hearing this conglomeration of noise all of the sudden made Red’s head pound, and he stumbled back, pressing up against the wall with one hand gripped in his hair. Blue noticed the lack of warmth on his right hand, and turned, noticing Red. He shook his head, rushing over and leaning down, cupping Red’s face with his hands and forcing him to look up. “Red,” he whispered, his voice laced with concern. “Is everything alright? Look at me.” Red just stared blearily, gently prying Blue’s hands off of him before rubbing his arm nervously. 

 

“I’m just overwhelmed. Don’t...Don’t worry about it,” Red hastily replied. “Let’s go.” Blue gave him a look filled with sympathy. 

 

“Here, we can walk slower. C’mon.” Blue once again took Red’s hand, and they began to make their way down the block, albeit at a much steadier pace than what he had first intended them to go at. Despite the blunt importance of the situation, Red’s health always came first. It was not long before the two of them reached what Blue considered as the “midway point” between their home and the police precinct: the local marketplace. It came to a surprise not long ago that Red appeared to enjoy this kind of thing, giving the two of them a new sense of calamity despite their “busy” everyday lives. Blue watched as a small spark returned to Red’s eyes as he looked around. Blue chuckled quietly, looking at Red. “We can come back here later if you want,” he suggested softly. Red quickly nodded. 

 

As they neared the exit, the duo was so busy looking at the various booths and items that they had not looked where they were going, leading them to crash into two other patrons. Blue stumbled back, trying to apologize to the two people. “I-I am  _ so _ sorry,” he gasped out as he guiltily rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. But the two people simply gave a smile. Blue took the time to register who he was looking at. A man and a woman. 

 

Both were around the same height, with the girl being ever so slightly taller (Blue wondered to himself if she, too, made height jokes to the other). The girl had brunette hair with violet highlights, tied up in a bun with a couple of loose strands. Deep blue eyes stared at him through circular glasses. A red ombre sweater cut off just above the midriff, and the girl wore normal jeans and what appeared to be combat boots. She had a messenger bag on her shoulder. The man on the other hand seemed far more stoic, with faded blonde-cyan hair that was parted to the right. It seemed that he was just wearing a t-shirt under a thick, green winter coat, tapping his sneakers on the ground. There was a lollipop stick jutting out of the left side of his mouth. 

 

While the girl raised an eyebrow as if recognizing something, the man gave a sharp grin, extending a hand to the two of them. “Don’t worry about it! I’m Miles, nice to meet you!” 

 

The girl quickly copied him. “Clara!” she said, also putting a hand out for the two to shake. Blue grinned, shaking both Clara and Miles’ hands before stepping back.

 

“Name’s Blue!” he said, gesturing to himself, then to his roommate. “This is Red!” But Red did not respond, Red didn’t greet Clara or Miles or shake their hands. He just stood there, gaze wavering at the two of them, his mouth barely open but nothing coming out. Wasn’t that disrespectful? Blue elbowed Red. “Don’t be  _ rude _ ,” Blue whispered under his breath before returning to the smile. Red flinched (but Blue did not see), eventually shaking both of their hands before stepping back once more, staring at the ground. Blue glanced at Red in confusion and annoyance before looking back at the two strangers. “—Well then,” he began, “The two of us have go to get going. It was nice meeting you two!” 

 

As he waved, walking off, Red was much slower. “Clara” and “Miles”’ faux smiles melted away into devilish smirks as they gazed at Red. “Miles” put a hand on Red’s shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn around. “See you later,  _ Lucas, _ ” he hissed, an edge to his voice. 

  
“Clara” snickered. “And you looked  _ so _ much better in a  _ hat. _ ” They promptly left, leaving Red standing there, stumbling and clutching his stomach before briskly making his way back to where Blue was. He had been so disoriented that he missed slamming right into Blue by a hair. Blue whipped his head around, his gaze softening only slightly as he stared down at Red. He took Red’s hand, leading him into the opening of an alleyway. The smile disappeared. 

 

“ _ What _ was that?!” Blue snapped, glaring at Red. Red shrunk. “Those two weren’t even doing anything to us! They were being polite!  _ Why _ the fuck did you have to act like that.”

 

“T-They-” 

 

“ _ What is your  _ **_justification_ ** _?! _ What is  _ wrong _ with y—” 

 

“ _IT WAS_ **_THEM_** _, SPENCER!”_

 

Blue reared back, startled by Red snapping at him. Rarely was Red ever this  _ angry _ .

 

Wait.

 

**_Red._ **

 

Blue stared at Red through his glasses. Red had his hands shielding his face as if expecting to be slapped. Despite this, Red’s eyes were wide open, pupils contracted and hands trembling. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. 

 

Red was  _ afraid _ of him. 

 

But why? What did he mean by “them”? Almost as soon as that thought came to mind, Blue put it together. Miles and Clara were not real. The people who’d run into the two of them were none other than  _ Cyrus  _ and  _ Alicia _ . The people who had ruined Red’s life, who’d  _ raped _ him, who left Red with no persona left to protect him. 

 

Blue should’ve known. If he had only figured it out earlier, he would have beaten those two senseless. 

 

But it was too late for that now. 

 

Blue shook his head, not wanting to overthink things. He gently reached for Red, but Red only shied away more, whimpering. Blue winced, frowning. “Hey,” He whispered gently, “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I should’ve known.”

 

Red didn’t move in any way. “D-Don-Don’t  _ touch _ me,” he choked out, looking as if he was about to collapse at any given moment. 

 

Blue didn’t know what else to do at this point in the situation, so he pulled Red into a tight hug despite his protests. Red tried to wiggle out of the hug, wailing protests, before something just...broke in him.  _ That _ was when Red began to just flat-out wail, worse than Blue had ever seen him. Blue buried his face in Red’s hair, rubbing his back as he cried. “I’m here,” Blue whispered, his voice wracked with guilt. “I won’t mess up again. I won’t let them hurt you again.” 

 

“I wanna go  _ home _ ,” Red replied, trembling. Blue gave a sigh of sympathy. 

 

“We’ll take a taxi back to the apartment. You can rest then. You-You  _ know _ that you need to tell the police about this.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

Blue stepped away, seeing that Red’s eyes looked glassy as he tried to wipe away his own tears. Blue frowned. “Do you want to head over now?” 

 

“Whatever.”

 

Blue helped Red up, using his own sleeve to dry Red’s face before they skirted out of the alleyway, now making a beeline to the precinct. 

 

Twenty minutes later, they’d arrived. Red and Blue both were dumbfounded by the height of the building, then remembered that this was the entirety of the station. They only needed to go to one of the floors. “Come on,” Blue whispered, his breath billowing in the cold air, tugging Red inside. 

 

Red kept silent, sticking close to Blue with his hands in his pockets, the only noise either made being the sound of their feet clacking against the polished floors. Once they’d reached the elevator and walked in, Blue gripped Red’s hand tightly. He, too, was scared, and he was not the victim in this situation. They went up towards the 3rd floor. 

 

There, they would be Lucas and Spencer. They didn’t have a need for the masks.

* * *

 

The bustling noise of an office is what greeted them. People ran back and forth, talking to each other and making their ways towards various doors whilst others stayed at their desks. A receptionist blinked at Spencer and Lucas, an eyebrow raised. “Did you two schedule something?” he asked. Spencer nodded in response. The receptionist tapped his chin before nodding. “Wait here. Chief Petrov will be here in a moment.” And with that, the receptionist was gone. Spencer and Lucas did not move, but it seemed that they did not need to; a tall woman just over Spencer’s height strode over, wearing a business-casual red and gray suit with pale skin and long amber hair that was tired into a neat ponytail on her shoulder. 

 

She held out a hand to the two of them. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vera Petrov, chief of this city’s Special Victims Unit. My partner, Detective Warren, along with Detectives Isa and López, will be able to help you.” As she spoke, she gestured to two men and one woman standing not too far away, deep in discussion. Chief Petrov sighed. “You two, follow me. What are you here for?” she asked as they made their way towards the interrogation rooms. 

 

Spencer and Lucas shared a glance, before Spencer stepped forwards, lowering his voice. “We’re here to file a rape case,” he said quietly. Chief Petrov paused, stopping and turning to the two of them. 

 

“Is it for one of you?” she asked. Lucas nervously pointed at himself as a response, shaking and not speaking. Chief Petrov softened. “Call me Vera,” she said quietly. “I’ll need information about the two of you, but we’ll get that for the interview.  _ Warren! _ ” she yelled, prompting her aforementioned partner to come over. “You’ll be interviewing him,” she ordered, gesturing to Spencer. She straightened her coat, looking once more at the two of them. “Can I have your names before you begin?” 

 

“Spencer Navorin.” 

 

“Lucas C-Crismoria.” 

 

And with that, the two friends parted, facing the interviews that they had no choice but to do.

* * *

 

Chief Vera Petrov walked into the room first, holding the door open as Lucas walked in. They’d stopped so Sato and Martin-Kors—the respective tech and analyst experts—could retrieve available files for Lucas. Lucas had been on edge about that, not even having realized that the police had such a plethora of information about, well,  _ anybody. _ But he stayed silent, letting Vera lead him along. Once inside the cold interrogation room, Lucas at first loitered, watching with blank eyes as Vera took her seat, beckoning Lucas to sit down as well. He took a hesitating breath, before stumbling over, pulling out the chair adjacent to the unit chief and sitting down, hands on the strings of his hood. Vera gave him a smile. “Lucas, was it?” she said, keeping her voice at a normal tone. She opened up Lucas’ file, skimming the paper before looking back up at the person in front of her. “Can you tell me a bit about yourself, first and foremost?” 

 

Lucas gulped. “My name is Lucas,” he began, his voice still hoarse with the bruises on his neck stinging. “Lucas M-Mallory Crismoria. I’m 24, I’m unemployed with the e-uh-the exception of freelance commission work. I live in an apartment not too far away from here with Spencer, the guy who came in with me. A-And...uh...I’m a-agender.” 

 

Silence. Lucas’ stomach sunk. 

 

Vera simply nodded along. “Do you have any significant others or sexual partners?” Lucas shook his head in response. He didn’t. He hasn’t for a  _ while  _ now. Vera blinked at him. “Alright, thank you for giving me basic information. Now...onto the case.” Lucas’ grip tightened on the hoodie strings. “Can you tell me what you remember, Lucas? As much as you can. Do take your time.”

 

Lucas closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. 

 

And the memories came rushing back. 

 

_ Red! So  _ _ glad _ _ you came! _

 

Lucas didn’t open his eyes. “I-I went to, uh, this party at…um...shortly before sundown on S-Saturday. I don’t know the exact time. I can’t remember it. Um—“

 

Vera interrupted. “It’s fine if you cannot remember that.” 

 

Lucas nodded, gulping, and continued. “I-I uh, knew people at the party. I think I knew one of the hosts from college, I don’t know, they seem familiar—everyone there was really nice. They didn’t have stuff like drugs there, they just wanted to have a p-pa-party. It was like all the o-others I’ve gone to—“ 

 

“Gone to?” 

 

Lucas shook. “I like parties. I like being open. A-Uh-Anyways, I was considering leaving around midnight. I remember that. Then…” 

 

_ Red had been on the impromptu dance floor, chatting with a girl about the arts. They had nothing else better to do, the girl had been leaving anyways and Red had happened to bump into her during a song. He couldn’t remember her name. Just as she walked away, giving Red her number and Twitter handle, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw two people a good amount taller than him standing there.  _

 

_ “Hey,” the man said. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is ______, and this is my friend,” he gestured at the girl beside him, “______. Why don’t you come with us, get some drinks?” Red’s eyes lit up. He loved this kind of thing.  _

 

“I was just-I was having a good time. Then these people, these people, they look so fucking  _ blurry  _ now—they come over, they seemed nice. I didn’t think anything of it. I’m so fucking dumb.” 

 

_ “Of course!” he replied, “I’m Red!” They smirked, both of them, and led him over to the bar.  _

 

_ A wide spread grew across ______’s face, and the three of them made their way over to the bar. The woman gave Red a grin. “I’ll buy you a drink.” He didn’t notice the man putting something in his drink before he slid it over to Red.  _

 

“They gave me a drink. I don’t—I don’t know what it was, but I can’t remember anything for an hour or two.” 

 

Vera cut in, her eyes laced with sadness. “Lucas, I am afraid that they—that they possibly put Rohypnol in your drink.” Lucas looked up at her, confusion masking fear. 

 

“Rohypnol?”

 

“Rohypnol is a date rape drug.” Vera watched as the color was practically drained from Lucas’ face. She watched as his eyes flitted to various points in the room, then he clutched one of his arms and looked back at her. 

 

“I don’t know how long I was out. I don’t know if it was an hour, o-or anything. But I woke up, I was on a bed. And I couldn’t  _ move _ . The first thing I’d heard was…” Lucas rubbed his temples in frustration. “A door locking.”

 

_ Lucas felt something soft below him. The room was dark, and, despite the claustrophobic feeling, he could still hear the muffled noise of club music coming from downstairs. He was still in the party, but how? Two voices cut through the darkness, and two more weights were added to the _ — _ wait, he’s on a bed. That’s where he is. Red’s focus drifted upwards, feeling hands on his arms as he looked at two faces that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The people from earlier. What were they saying? _

 

_ They were complimenting him, but it didn’t sound right. It sounded like they were trying to convince him of something. Red tried to respond, but all that seemed to come out was gibberish. Laughter filled the room as the hands started pulling at his clothes _ —

 

“I-I don’t know why I can remember parts of this so  _ vividly _ . But-But...I remember...the two people, they were there. They were laughing, and I couldn’t quite move. Then...Then they-they started taunting me, they started pulling off my clothes and just making  _ comments,  _ and it hurt, I was so scared and everything was blurry and everything was hurting and they-they wouldn’t stop touching me-they took my binder, they-“ Without warning, Lucas stopped talking, skidding back in his chair and stumbling to his feet. Vera watched as he continued to speak, pacing around the room with trembling hands as he did so. 

 

“I told them to stop. I TOLD THEM TO-TO FUCKING  _ STOP!  _ BUT THEY DI-DIDN’T FUCKING LISTEN! THEY JUST  _ LAUGHED! _ THEY DIDN’T STOP UNTIL THEY WERE FUCKIN’ F-FINISHED WITH ME! THEY JUST LOOKED AT ME AND CALLED ME A–“ Lucas suddenly slammed his fist into the wall, somehow hard enough to cause a dent, leaving rocky shards embedded in his hands. “– **_WHORE!_ ** ” It was then that Vera noticed that Lucas had begun to cry, but she said nothing, and Lucas failed to notice either. His voice was growing quieter at a gradual rate. 

 

“I think I heard a camera. I think I heard the girl say something, I think I saw a phone. I don’t know what I saw. But there was a flash, and the door. The door slammed behind them. I-I lay there, I was  _ bleeding  _ and it  **_hurt_ ** _ so fucking much _ , but I didn’t want to stay anymore. But I couldn’t move. I-I tried to stand after a while, I wanted to run, I wanted to go—“

 

_ His ears were still ringing as he staggered to his feet, the room spinning. He had to get out. He had to. As quick as his aching limbs could muster, he tried to clean himself up, then grabbed his clothes, pulling it on and picking up his torn vest before running as fast as he could out of the house. There was no time to look for his other shoe or his hat, he just had to run. He had to go. He didn’t want to be here anymore.  _

 

_ As he stumbled down the stairs, someone tried to talk to him, but Red did not listen, pushing open the door and sprinting down the street. It was dark, yet the streetlights were blinding.  _

 

Lucas’s pupils contracted, and his hands went from being on the wall to being tightly wrung in his hair. He pressed against the wall, his breath coming out in rapid huffs. “I don’t remember when I got home, or how I even got into my apartment. I just. I broke—” Lucas grit his teeth. “I wanted to forget. I tore myself apart as p-pu-punishment. That was when Spencer found me. I-I...I don’t remember anything else.” Lucas fell back into his chair, furiously rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve and trembling. Vera could have sworn she heard him mumble “Stupid” over and over, but she must have misheard. She sighed. That was a  _ lot _ to take in, she’d been writing the entire time but she hadn’t expected him to give this much. Vera gave him a wary, sympathetic glance. 

  
“I’m...sorry, Lucas,” she said softly. “You don’t have to tell me anymore. Just one more thing. Do you remember their names? Or anything about the party, like the host or the location?” 

 

Lucas looked up from where his head had been buried in his hands. “My brain keeps tellin’ me that their names were Cyrus and Alicia, but  _ gods _ that  _ has _ to be wrong, it d-doesn’t fuckin’ sound right. And the party...I think it was on the Lower East side…” Lucas was stumbling over his words. His voice sounded as if it was going to shatter. 

 

Vera simply nodded along, writing down the information. She handed him a business card. “If you remember anything else, or anything else happens, do contact us.” 

 

“T...Thanks.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Spencer sat at the table in another interrogation room. Detective Declan Warren, whom Spencer just referred to as Detective Warren, sat across from him, holding Spencer’s file and a clipboard. There was not as much tension in the room as it was for the other two, but despite this Spencer still felt on edge. He was able to stay calm, though. 

 

“So,” Dt. Warren said, breaking the silence. “You say you were not at the party. Can you tell me where you were? I’m going to need names of anyone else involved.” 

 

Spencer sighed, nodding. “My girlfriend, Minerva—I can give you her last name if you need—she invited me to spend the day with her after a job interview I went to. I spent the entire day with them, and we had reservations at I Sodi around the time Lucas said he was going to the party. After that, we were at the Equinox fair, then we went back to Min’s flat.”

 

“And I can verify all of this.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

Dt. Warren scribbled something down, then looked up. “Tell me what had occurred from 10 P.M. to when you found Lucas.” 

 

Spencer sucked in a breath. He could do this. If he could tell Min, he could tell Detective Warren. “Min and I, we got home from the fair around 10:30 P.M., and we both fell asleep at around midnight, if not 12:30. I woke up maybe around 3 A.M..”

 

“Is there any reason as to why you did that?”

 

“Lucas and I, we initially had plans for that Sunday, that if I got the job we’d spend the whole day—he called it my ‘last day of freedom’—doing whatever I wanted to do. I remembered, so I went to leave earlier rather than staying the night at Min’s. I walked home from there. When I came home to a silent apartment, I just—I assumed that nobody was home, that Lucas...was still at the party.” 

 

_ Blue whirled around. There it is again! His eyes locked on the location of which the odd, pain-like noises were coming from. The bathroom. Blue’s brow furrowed, nervousness and fear tying his stomach into knots. Oh, no.  _

 

“I was wrong.” Spencer just then noticed that his face was wet. A noise of concern came from Dt. Warren. 

 

“Mr. Navorin, do you want to stop?” the man asked, but Spencer lifted his left hand. 

 

“No. I’m…” Spencer wiped at his face. “I’m fine. I, uh, thought I was alone, then I began to hear these  _ noises _ , agonizing breaths. I didn’t know who or what it was, but it sounded so...so  _ pained. _ I look around, I found out that it was from our bathroom. I thought someone snuck into our house, like a burglar or something, so I was mad. The door was locked, so I picked it and kicked down the door, I was screaming, but…”

 

_ Staring at him with wide eyes, hair unkempt and sticking up in an erratic manner and  _ **_glowing_ ** _ , was his own roommate. But that wasn’t what Blue was focusing on. It was the surrounding area, it was his arms he was looking at. Instinctively, Blue took a shaky, hesitating step back as he fought to focus and take in the sight in front of him. At Red’s feet was an empty bottle of some type of alcohol. Surrounding him, though? Blood.  _

 

“It was Lucas.” 

 

Dt. Warren tapped his clipboard. “What do you mean by that?” 

 

“I-In the bathroom,” Spencer breathed, his voice cracking. “It was Lucas. He, uh, was on the ground, he had an empty bottle of alcohol or  _ something _ next to him, and his arms, oh god his ARMS, Lucas messed them up so bad.” Spencer skirted around the alien characteristics. The police needn’t know about how Lucas wasn’t even human. “I checked, the cuts weren’t deep enough to need stitches, so I-I cleaned and bandaged him and got him into a bed. I-I was scared, but now that I have a basic gist of what happened to him that night, I’m even more afraid. For Lucas’ safety.”

 

Dt. Warren’s eyes were wide in disbelief from what Spencer had been describing, but he finished up his notes, looking up. “One final question. I heard you say earlier that Lucas was ‘not the same as he used to be’. Can you elaborate on that?”

 

Spencer’s heart sunk. “Well...b-before the party, Lucas had always been the more, ah, eccentric one of the two of us. Always extroverted, a go-getter, trying to find the positives in things. It’s basically where his whole social persona came from—Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knows what he’s really like under the smile. But staying positive was Lucas’  **forte** . Even when things were really shitty, he found it hard to take things seriously. He wanted to be happy. I...I don’t exactly know where that drive came from.”

 

Dt. Warren nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Navorin. You can leave now.”

 

Spencer nodded, standing up from his seat and stretching before following the detective out.

* * *

 

A couple hours later, Red and Blue sat adjacent to each other in the booth of a nearby diner. Neither had really spoken to each other or, well, at  _ all _ since they’d left the precinct. The most “speaking” there was had been Blue asking Red if he wanted to stop for lunch, and Red just giving a nod as a response. All that either could hear was the muffled talking of other restaurant patrons, the clinking of silverware, and the sound of hard shoes against granite floors. Red and Blue silently flipped through the menus, neither even looking at the other until they’d both ordered—Blue ordering a simple omelette and Red deciding on stuffed french toast. Once the waiter had departed, Blue took a long sip of his coffee before looking back up at his roommate. 

 

“You good?” Blue asked, a clear tone of worry in his voice. Red gave him a weak glare, the bags under his eyes even more visible in the fluorescent lighting. Red let out a hoarse sigh, averting his eyes away from Blue. 

 

“I guess,” Red responded hastily, “I’m tired. I didn’t...I didn’t expect anything that happened today.” As he finished speaking, he yawned, leaning against one of his arms. 

 

“Understandable.” It was then that Blue noticed that the hand that Red was resting his head on had a thick bandage on it. This piqued Blue’s curiosity, and despite how sensitive it likely was, something pushed him to ask. It wasn’t there the last time Blue checked. “Hey, Red?” he asked. In response the red-haired boy looked up in confusion. Blue tipped his head. “What’s with the bandage? I, ah, I didn’t see it when we left the apartment this morning.”

  
Red blinked, lifting his head and staring at his hand before wincing and looking away, resting his hand back on the table. “I, uh, went a bit overboard du-during the interview.” He sounded guilty. In the light, Blue could just barely see dried tear marks on his face. Knowing that it was best not to pester him, as Red  _ hated _ when people would do that, ever since middle school. Blue let out a hoarse sigh. 

 

“Red. Can I be honest with you?” he asked, his voice as serious as he could muster. Red bit his lip and nodded. This didn’t sound good. Blue took a deep breath, and began to talk. “R... _ Lucas _ . I know that you hate stuff like this, but...I’m not trying to pity you. I’m worried, which is obviously understandable, but it’s more...fear than anything.” 

 

“Fear.” 

 

“I’ve known you since we were little, when you came crashing down in the field behind the elementary school. I know you better than anything else. And seeing someone do this to you, taking away something that you use as protection—your own  _ persona _ —it hurts. I’m not trying to make this about me. Just...I don’t want you to think that you  _ deserve _ this. Nobody deserves this to happen, especially you. I don’t want you to...think like that.” Red’s eyes widened in recognition, but he didn’t speak. “I care about you, Lucas,” he continued, “Even-Even if I don’t fuckin’ show it sometimes. I know things have changed over the years, but one thing stays the same, and that is that I will not hesitate to be by your side.  _ Ever _ .” He reached across the table, gently clutching Red’s bandaged hand in his. “Got that?” 

 

Red had always taken a while to fully process anything, especially in terms of serious things. Just like he’d brought up to Dt. Warren. But it wasn’t long before tears beaded in his eyes, and Red’s eyes not only carried the familiar spark that had been missing since that fateful night but also more raw emotion than Blue had seen in a while. “Thank you,” Red whispered, his voice cracking. The two pulled away, giggling a bit at their own actions.    
  


As if on cue, the waiter came over, setting down food in front of them. 

 

Red smiled at Blue, and Blue felt as if he were going to cry out of pure joy. It had been so, so long since Red had smiled. He could try to smile once more. 

 

And they began to eat.

* * *

 

As they walked out of the diner, two figures watched them from the top of a rooftop, eyes following the pair fading into the distance. They shared a smile. 

 

“If only they knew,” Cyrus breathed as he bit the lollipop stick in his mouth, “What was coming to them.” 

 

Alicia simply let out a chuckle in response, much like an anime villain. “Surprises are best, Cyrus,” she responded calmly, “Let them have their fun.” 

 

And they watched. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank my beta reader, @raddyke, for helping me write the interviews. Also Dixie, for somehow sticking in this fandom because of me and now you have to deal with this. 
> 
> This fic hurt my hands and my heart to write. 
> 
> -Ace


End file.
